Rod support structure



s t. 1,1959 ,4, T, ATWOOD 2,902,243

ROD SUPPORT STRUCTURE Filed July 22, 1955 r United States Patent .7 ROD SUPPORT STRUCTURE V Harold T. Atwood, Chicago, Ill. Application July 22, 1955, Serial No. 523,777- I .2 c1, im 1s. crass-2&5

This invention relates to a rod support structure in which a bracket is adapted to carry one or more stirrups adapted to support a drapery or valance rod.

The bracket is secured to a wall surface in adjusted position, and one or more stirrups are secured to the bracket in adjustable position to hold rods on which draperies, valances, or similar structure may be mounted.

It is an object of my invention to provide simple and inexpensive means for supporting draperies and a valance in spaced relationship on a single set of brackets.

Another object is to provide means for supporting draperies or a valance in conjunction with Venetian blinds.

A further object is to provide means for adjusting a drapery or valance rod support to provide a level appearance even if the window frame covered by the draperies or valance is not level.

Another object is to provide rod supporting means adapted to support rods of different sizes or shapes.

The structure by means of which the above mentioned and other advantages of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing a few preferred illustrative embodiments of the invention, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the rod support structure mounted within a cornice;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the rod support structure for supporting a pair of rods forwardly of a Venetian blind;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a bracket and one form of stirrup in disassembled position;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another form of stirrup; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the rod support mounted in a difierent manner.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates a bracket comprising a strip of metal bent to form a vertical leg 3, a horizontal section 4, a depending vertical section 5, an intermediate horizontal section 6, an upwardly extending vertical section 7, and an outer horizontal section 8. Sections 5 and 7 are of equal length and are both parallel to leg 3, whereby section 6 is positioned in a plane parallel to and lower than the plane of sections 4 and 8.

Leg 3 is provided with a centrally disposed longitudinally extending slot 9 which extends throughout a substantial portion of its length. Section 6 is provided with a similar slot 10 which extends into section 7 and terminates near the upper end thereof. A similar slot 11 is provided in section 8. An aperture 12 extends through the center of section 4.

In the embodiment of Fig. 1, a fastening member, such as a screw 13 extends through slot 9 and into a wood mounting panel 14. The mounting panel is shown as being secured to a wall 15, but it may be part of the wall. For example, it may be the upper frame of a window. The length of slot 9 permits vertical move- Patented Sept. 1, 1959 2 ment of the bracket to-adjustit to any desired position, after the fastening member-is} driven into the panel. The screws are normally "driven into the panel in positions determined withoutaccurate measurement, and the adjustment feature permits accurate positioning of the brackets evenif theadjacent structure is not level.

Fig. 1 shows a cornice 16 comprising afacis board 17 and a top board 18; The cornice may be secured in place byfast'ening' elementa-such as the screws 13, pass ing through aperture 12 and through 'slot 11 into the top'board. 'Since a'valance is not normally used in connection with a cornice, the bracket in Fig. 1 is provided with only one stirrup.

A stirrup 19 is formed by bending a strip of metal to provide a horizontal section 20, a downwardly extending section 21, and a lip 22 curled inwardly and upwardly. The corner bends are rounded, as indicated at 23 and 24, to make the stirrup fit snugly around the periphery of a traverse rod 25 on which draperies may be mounted. Different sizes of stirrups may be used for traverse rods of difierent sizes, but I prefer to cut out a portion of section 20 to form a resilient tongue 26 and depress it to enable the stirrup to fit various sizes of traverse rods. The tongue 26 has sufiicient resilience to engage the top of any standard rod that may be fitted between lip 22 and section 20 to hold it firmly in place.

Section 20 of the stirrup is provided with an aperture 27, and is secured to the bracket 2 by means of a screw (not shown) passed through aperture 27 and slot 10 to position the stirrup in the desired position, and then a nut (not shown) is tightened on the screw to hold the stirrup in its proper position.

The transverse spacing of the brackets will, of course, depend upon the length of rod to be supported. In structures not provided with a cornice it is sometimes desirable to provide a pair of stirrups 19 on each bracket so that one set of stirrups can support a traverse rod upon which draperies are mounted, and the other set of stirrups can support a rod upon which a valance is mounted. It is desirable to have the upper edge of the drapes concealed by the valance. Accordingly, I have positioned the center horizontal section 6, upon which the stirrup for supporting the drapery rod is mounted, at a slightly lower level than section 8 which carries the stirrup for supporting the valance rod.

In Fig. 2 a Venetian blind 28 has its head board 29 mounted on wood panel 14, and bracket 2 is mounted adjacent the end of the head board. A valance rod 25' is shown mounted in one of the stirrups 19, the traverse rod being omitted from the stirrup mounted on section 6 for the sake of clarity.

The stirrup 30 shown in Fig. 4 has a horizontal section 31 provided with an aperture 32, a vertical section 33, and a lip 34 bent inwardly and upwardly. The corner bends are rounded, as indicated at 35 and 36. Stirrup 30 is essentially a duplicate of stirrup 19 except for the resilient tongue 26, and may be used instead of the stirrup 19 whenever the rods to be mounted therein are of uniform size and will fit snugly between lip 34 and section 31.

In Fig. 5 a bracket 2 is mounted on wood panel 14 by a screw passed through slot 11 in section 8. A stirrup 30 is mounted on section 7 of the bracket by a screw which passes through slot 10. If desired, another stirrup 19 or 30 may be mounted on section 3 by a screw passing through slot 9.

While I have described a few preferred embodiments of my invention in detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is illustrative rather than restrictive, as many details may be modified or changed without dc parting from the spirit or scope of my invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact con- 3 struction es bed ex ept s l te by the. a e ded claims.

I claim:

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References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED PATENTS 644,758 Beck Mar. 6, 1900 1,805,742 Reynplds May 19, 1931 2,248,410 Moeller July 8, 1941 2,293,662 Rieh'l'rdson Aug. 18, 1942 2,452,116 15am Oct. 2 6,, 1948 2,494,855 Press Oct. 18, 1949 2,557,362 Ritniafi' ll l j June 19, 1951 

